


A bad place today

by Lepht03



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alex George and Lando get stuck in a thunderstorm, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everyone else is worried, Hiking, Minor Injuries, Panic Attacks, Thunder and Lightning, Thunderstorms, this was better in my head
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:14:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24625315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lepht03/pseuds/Lepht03
Summary: Alex, Lando and George decide to go out for a hike during the summer breakBut what they don't realize is that they are going to get stuck in the woods during a thunderstorm
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr
Comments: 18
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> This was probably better inside my head, but here it is anyway  
> Please enjoy!

Alex laid down on the bed in his hotel room.

He was exhausted. The day had begun early and ended later than usual.

All he wanted to do now was to sleep, so he could get ready for the race.

Alex wanted to do well in this race. It was the last one before the summer break.

If he did well, he could relax during their time off. That would be lovely. Just some time to collect himself before he had to work again.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his phone buzzing. Someone was calling him.

Hoping it wasn't work, Alex sat up and looked at his phone.

He was a little confused to see Lando's name on the screen.

"Hello" he said when he answered the call.

"Come to my hotel room now" Lando said.

That answer had worried Alex a little bit. Lando had Carlos if an emergency would happen. So Alex wondered why Lando had called him.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's a surprise. Just come. George is on his way too"

Lando had then hung up the phone, leaving Alex really confused.

He knew Lando could be full of surprises. But it still made him confused from time to time.

Especially when he was tired.

Alex got up. If he did what Lando told him, he would be able to sleep sooner.

He reached Lando's hotel room and knocked on the door.

Lando quickly opened the door and Alex walked inside, sitting down on Lando's bed.

"What are you planning?" Alex asked. He was starting to get a little curious.

"I will tell you when George gets here" Lando answered him.

It felt like forever until George knocked on the door. Lando let him in and said he was going to tell them what was going on.

"Summer break is close" Lando began. "And I know you are not doing anything"

"Please let it stay that way" Alex said. He could hear George let out a laugh.

"No it wont" Lando continued. "Because I have planned for us to go for a hike"

Lando pulled out a map and showed them the route he was planning.

Both Alex and George leaned forward to get a better look at the map.

"Why aren't you doing this with Carlos?" George asked. "I thought you would want to spend time together during the break"

Alex had thought the same thing. Lando and Carlos had recently gotten together, so Alex had thought they would take every little possibility to hang out just the two of them.

"Because" Lando said. "He is visiting his family. Plus, he would complain on the weather either if it’s sunny or raining"

They all laughed a bit at that.

"I have no idea why" Alex then said. "But I'm in"

Lando smiled and asked George what he thought.

"I think it's going to be fun" George said.

They stayed in Lando's hotel room for a while after that, planning some more stuff.

Lando had taken care of the route, so all the had to plan was what they would have to bring.

When Alex got back to his own hotel room, he was actually excited. Even though he never would’ve come up with the idea himself, it felt like this was something he really wanted to do.

But the main focus right now was the race. Planning the hike could wait a few days.

The race had gone really well for Alex, making him really happy.

Now he was even more excited for the hike.

After a long meeting with the team, he and Max had met up with Daniel and started talking about the summer break.

"Are you two planning on doing something over the break?" Alex had asked.

Max and Daniel's relationship had been official for a few months now. And Alex could clearly see how they both have become happier when they could tell the world.

"Yeah" Max had answered him. "We are visiting Daniel’s family in Australia. What about your plans?"

"Me, George and Lando are planning a hike"

Max and Daniel started laughing as soon as he had said that.

“For real?” Daniel said before going back to laughing.

“Yes” Alex answered him. “Why is that so funny”

Max and Daniel stopped laughing, even though it was clear that they wanted to.

“I’m sorry” Max said. “But you don’t seem like people that like hiking”

Alex rolled his eyes, said goodbye to them, and then walked away.

When he walked away he could hear them start laughing again.

Alex didn’t understand what was so funny about it. They were going on a hike, not a trip to space.

A few days went by, and the planning for the hike was done. All they had to do now was the actual hike.

They had parked their car in the parking lot next to the forest. When they had begun talking about the route when an old lady approached them.

“How long are you planning to be out there?” she asked them.

“Around three days” George had answered her.

“You should be aware that a thunderstorm is on its way. Be careful about out there”

And with that she left, leaving the three of them a little confused.

Lando had looked at a weather app on his phone, so they could see when the storm was coming.

“It says the storm is coming in about five days. We should be fine”

They had discussed what to do for a few minutes. But then they decided to keep following the plan they had.

The storm was set to arrive two days after the hike would be finished.

That was enough time. Maybe it would start to rain the last day. Nothing worse than that.

But they still decided to make a change in the route. Lando had looked up a faster route on his phone, just in case the storm would come faster then expected.

All of them agreed on the decision. But they didn’t write the new route down, because if they just followed the path, it would lead them right back to the car.

That had been their first mistake.

Their second mistake happened the next day.

They had packed everything from their campsite and decided to continue on the route. But after a few hours Alex felt a few drops of water on his face.

He looked up to the sky, and was immediately worried.

Big, gray clouds had formed on the sky.

Alex wasn’t a weather expert, but seeing dark clouds on the sky with a thunderstorm on the way wasn’t a good sign.

“Guys, look” he said and pointed to the sky.

Alex could feel Lando and George getting tense. That was the moment they all realized they were in trouble.

And short after Alex had felt those small raindrops, the rain was falling down on them.

“What should we do?” George asked.

Neither Lando or Alex answered George. They had no idea what to say.

Just when Alex was about to say something, the heard a big rumble in the sky.

Now they all got a bit scared. Alex knew how bad it was to be outside when it was thunder and lightning outside.

Actually there hadn’t been any lightning yet, but it felt like it was only moments away.

“How far away from the car are we?” Alex asked Lando, who was in charge of the map.

“We're about halfway through the route” Lando quietly said, fear taking over his voice. “There is no way we can make it back in time”

No one said anything. They were in deep trouble now.

The rain kept pouring down, and after a short time, they were all soaking wet.

Alex took out his phone, hoping he could call someone for help. But he had no connection so far out in the woods.

He shook his head at Lando and George, who had hopefully looked at him when he had taken out his phone.

Alex didn’t know what to feel. He was scared, and he couldn’t do anything to make this situation better.

The only thing he knew right now, was that Lando and George were freaking out.

Then the first lightning struck down.


	2. Chapter 2

They had all flinched when the lightning had struck down.

That didn't make Lando calm down at all. He had already been freaking out. But now he realized exactly how dangerous this was.

He didn't know what to do.

Lando had no idea what you should or shouldn't do when you are trapped in a thunderstorm.

When thunder roared in the sky, Lando knew they were going to have to figure something out.

Before it would be too late.

They were standing on a path. Would it better for them to go into the woods?

"We can't stay here" he said, his voice shaky.

"The woods?" Alex asked.

Lando nodded. He didn't know if that was the best option, but right now it was the only one.

Another lightning struck, making him want to cry.

"We need to go" Alex told them.

Lando took a few steps before he noticed that George didn't move.

That had made Lando both angry and worried. They had to move fast if they wanted the best chance to get out of the woods without any injuries.

And standing still was not an option here.

But then Lando remembered the time that George told them thunderstorms scared him.

Alex seemed to realize the same thing, because he took George's wrist and started to drag him away from the path they were on.

Lando followed them, trying to stay calm. That had proved to be a challenge.

When they had gone a bit into the forest, they stopped.

Alex turned his attention to George, to see what was going on.

Lando was worried. They were in a complicated situation. The only thing he needed was for the three of them to be okay.

And when he looked at George, it was clear that something was wrong.

Lando could see George's hands trembling, even though Alex steadily held onto them. His face was pale and he didn't breath properly.

That scared him even more. Lando knew what was happening to George, but he had no idea what to do.

If this was any other situation, he would've been able to call Carlos and ask for help.

And if not Carlos, anyone.

But they couldn't do that now. They had to figure this thing out themselves.

And the first step was to calm George down.

"Come on George" Alex said with a calm voice. "Take a slow breath"

Lando was standing next to them, following Alex's instructions himself.

Because if he didn't, he would be on the ground, crying and giving up on ever getting back home safe.

He had never been in a dangerous situation before. Sure, their work made them risk their life as soon as they got inside the car.

But that was always because they wanted to.

Now, they were alone in a forest, soaking wet, lightning threatening to hit them and George was having a panic attack.

They did not want to be here anymore.

"We're going to die" George then mumbled.

That broke Lando's heart. George was always positive, even if the situation was bad. So hearing him sound so hopeless was difficult.

"They won't find us. We will die here"

Lando had no idea what to say. He wanted to tell George that they would be fine. That someone was looking for them.

But he couldn't get the words out, no matter how hard he tried.

Alex had grabbed one of George's hands and pressed it against his own chest.

"Feel how I breath" he said, his voice still calm. "Mimic it. You can do it"

Alex took slow breaths, still holding George’s hand to his chest.

Lando was actually impressed by Alex’s ability to stay calm in this situation. Because he was close to breaking down.

But he knew he had to stay calm too. One of them panicking was enough.

It seemed like hours before George took a normal breath.

That had been a relief for all of them. George was still shaking, and his eyes showed that he was still terrified.

But at least he was breathing more like he normally did.

Lando guessed they had to celebrate the little things. Even if nothing was good about this situation.

Another lightning.

They all flinched again. Alex threw his arms around George, probably to keep him calm.

Lando kept thinking back to what his teachers had told him in school. Maybe he had learned something useful.

But all he could think of was teachers telling him you shouldn’t hike during a thunderstorm.

And right now, that was useless information, because he was painfully aware of it.

Then he remembered something else. He didn’t know if it would be useful, but right now it was the only thing he could think of.

“Remove the metal on you” he said.

“Why?” Alex asked, still holding onto George.

“Metal attracts lightning”

He didn’t know if that was completely true. But he didn’t care about that.

All he remembered was his teachers telling him to remove the metal on you during a thunderstorm, and then put the metal things far away from you.

He was happy that he had remembered that. Who knew what could’ve happened if he didn’t.

But things were only getting worse.

The problem with the woods was not only the uneven ground, but now it was also wet, making it harder to walk on.

Something that Lando hadn’t reflected on. So he had walked a bit away to to leave their things, so they would be safer from the lightning.

But when he was walking back to Alex and George, he stumbled on a branch on the ground.

Normally, he would’ve been able to get a grip on the ground, keeping him from falling down. But with all the mud he fell straight on the ground, twisting his knee.

The pain had been instant, causing him to let out a whimper of pain.

Lando let a few tears fall down, but it wasn’t visible because of the pouring rain.

He felt really guilty about all of this. The hike had been his idea, he was the one saying they would be fine from the storm and he hadn’t looked for signs that the storm was arriving early.

He felt like he deserved getting injured. And if someone would die out here, it deserved to be him.

After a short breath and when he had collected his thoughts, he stood up, but he couldn’t walk. There was too much pain.

He tried a couple of times before he felt Alex next to him.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Lando guessed Alex saw him struggling.

“No” Lando answered. “I am not okay. I want to go home”

That was the only thing he knew right now.

He wanted to go home, to be with his boyfriend, feeling safe.

Now he was soaking wet, scared and in a lot of pain.

He didn’t say it out loud, because that would only make things worse, but Lando had no hope of getting out of the woods alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to contact me about anything, my Tumblr username is: lepht03  
> :)

The summer break had started out really well for Max.

He and Daniel had gone to Australia, to meet Daniel's family.

Max had been really nervous. But when he had met them, he calmed down fast. They were all really nice to him.

Everything had been great, until he got a phone call.

He took out his phone and looked at the screen.

On the screen the name Christian Horner.

Max debated if he should answer the call or not.

Maybe it was something important he wanted.

But Max let the phone ring. He didn't have to answer. This was his vacation.

What he hadn't expected was for Christian to call again.

Talking with Christian was the last thing he wanted to do, so he didn't answer the call this time either.

When he called for the third time, Daniel took the phone, answered and put it on speaker.

"Have you heard from Alex the past hour?" Christian had said as soon as Daniel answered the call.

Max looked up at Daniel, who looked as confused as he felt.

Why would Christian want to know that?

"No, he’s out on a hike" Max answered him. "Why?"

He could hear quiet swearing from Christian.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked.

Christian didn't seem to care that Daniel was now participating in the conversation. He went right to explaining.

"One of my friends saw Alex, George and Lando starting a hike two days ago"

Then there was a pause. That had made Max nervous. Had something happened to them?

"And now" Christian continued after a while. "A big thunderstorm is occurring right where they were. My friend was at the parking lot and their car is still there"

Max hoped he had come to the wrong conclusion. Otherwise this situation could lead to something horrible.

"Wait a second" Daniel then said, probably thinking the same thing as Max did. "Are you saying they are outside during a thunderstorm?"

The silence after Daniel's question spoke louder then actual words.

Max felt Daniel take his hand, and that was the thing that kept him from yelling. Because he wanted to.

“What should we do?” Max asked. He was surprised at how calm he sounded. Because he was not calm at all.

It took some time before Christian answered.

“My friend has reported them missing, but they can’t do anything until the storm passes”

That was hard to hear. Not only that his friends are in a really dangerous position, but no one could do anything about it.

“Can we do anything?” Daniel asked.

Max was thankful that Daniel was there. He was always the one asking the more reasonable questions.

“Try to contact them” Christian told them. “And if you hear anything, call me”

The call ended, and Max didn’t know what to do.

He couldn’t do anything. That was the problem.

Daniel had taken out his phone and was calling Lando. Maybe it was just Alex’s phone that didn’t work.

But Daniel shook his head. Lando hadn’t answered his phone either.

“Should we call Carlos?” Daniel said after he gave up on calling Lando.

“Why should we call Carlos?” Max asked. He didn’t see how that would help at all.

“Maybe he should know his boyfriend is stuck in the woods”

Max nodded, he had forgotten about Lando and Carlos. But when Daniel had reminded him, he took out his phone and dialed Carlos’s number.

“Max?” Carlos asked when he answered.

It was understandable for Carlos to be confused by him calling. Max usually avoided phone calls as much as possible.

Maybe he should’ve let Daniel make this call.

“Have you heard anything from Lando, Alex or George the past hour?” Max asked.

He didn’t know if it was the best way to start the conversation. But if Carlos had heard from them, it would be unnecessary to make him nervous.

But then Carlos had answered the question.

“No, I haven’t. Is something wrong?”

Max didn’t know what to say. He just put the phone on speaker, and then gave it to Daniel. He was better at dealing with people than he was.

“I guess you knew Lando was going on a hike with Alex and George, right?”

Max could hear Carlos getting more worried when he asked what was going on.

“I’m just going to say it” Daniel said. “They were out hiking and now there is a thunderstorm where they are”

It felt bad to just drop news like this on Carlos, but it would feel even worse not to say anything.

Max wanted to give Carlos some good news, but he didn’t know if there were any good news.

If they hadn’t been hit by lightning, the rain could be a problem.

He remembered someone saying to him that it was dangerous to walk around in wet clothes, since it could lower the body temperature.

And a low body temperature could lead to serious damage.

“Please tell me this is a joke” Carlos said, interrupting Max’s thoughts.

“When the thunder and lightning stops, they will start looking for them”

Max stood up and started pacing back and forth. Sitting still only made him more nervous.

If he was close by the woods Alex, George and Lando were hiking in, he would go right out there and find them.

There had to be something that made it safe to be out in the woods during thunder and lightning.

Scientists were focusing on the wrong things sometimes.

Not that Max would've thought on that if he was a scientist. But he wished someone had right now.

He didn’t know if he was glad or angry that Christian had called them.

If they could do something to help this situation, it would’ve been bad not to call them.

But Max didn’t know if they could do something. The only thing they had done so far was calling Lando a few times and wrecked Carlos’s vacation.

However, that was the only things they could do.

Being on the other side of the world was a big obstacle. Maybe that was the thing that would end up killing Alex, Lando and George.


	4. Chapter 4

Every time thunder roared or a lightning struck down, they all held their breaths.

The fear that one of them might get hit by the lightning was agonizing.

Alex wanted to think positive. He always believed that could make any situation better. But this time it felt impossible.

Lando was injured. Alex believed he was in more pain than he told them.

He could also tell that Lando blamed himself for all of this.

Which Alex thought was completely wrong of him to think.

They all had a part of how they got here. If they had thought about hiking safety when that lady warned them about the storm, they would be safe and inside. Not outside in the rain during a thunderstorm.

The storm wasn't the biggest thing that worried him. It actually seemed like it was about to end. The lightning didn't seem to strike as often, which was a good sign.

But even if it would end soon, they were all out of energy.

He didn't know if it was because of the rain or being on edge for a really long time, but nobody had any energy to even talk.

That worried him. If the storm was over soon, Alex didn't know if they were able to do the long walk back. Especially not with one of them injured.

He wondered if someone had noticed that they were stuck out here.

Probably not. Nobody in the same country as them knew about the hike.

And the people they had met before going out probably thought they had turned around.

Which would've been the right thing to do.

But they didn't, and now they were paying the price for it.

Alex had no idea of when it was safe to go out again after the storm ended.

He didn't even know how long it had been since the last lightning stuck down.

But he knew they had to risk it, because if they didn't started going back now, it would be too late.

Maybe it already was.

“We need to get out of here” Alex said.

He could hear Lando and George quietly mumble something. However, Alex couldn’t understand if the agreed or not.

In any other situation, it would’ve made Alex annoyed that no one was helping him come up with a solution.

But with everything that has happened, he was glad they even responded.

Alex was worried about how everything would turn out.

Because the lightning was beginning to stop, the thing that worried him was how they would get out of there.

He thought back to which way they had walked before the storm begun.

But he couldn't remember. There had been so many crossroads, and since they didn't write the new route down, it would be really unlikely that he could guess it.

Because he was the one who had to make sure they would get out of the woods now.

Lando was hurt and George seemed really low on energy, his lips turning slightly blue.

So, Alex knew he was the one who was fine enough to go and get help, even though he wanted to stay and make sure Lando and George were still okay.

But they wouldn't be okay if he stayed. Alex knew staying in the rain for a long time could lead to damage on the body, and he did not want to be the reason someone was more sick than they already was.

“I’m going to try and get help” he said, standing up so he could grab a backpack.

“No” Lando said quickly. “We need to stay together”

“Lando’s right” George agreed.

He knew their words should've made him want to stay.

But hearing them speak made Alex even more set on going away. They seemed like they struggled to stay awake, and that scared him.

They needed help. Now.

And the only way to get help was for Alex to try and find his way back.

“What if you get lost?”

Alex didn’t want to think about that. He knew he easily could get lost. And maybe that would end up killing both him and the others.

But he would try anything to get home, and to get Lando and George home.

Their jobs made them risk their lives each time the were out on the track. If something happened then, there was nothing he could do.

But now he had the chance to do something. He was not set on losing his friends because of a thunderstorm.

That was not how they would die.

After grabbing his backpack he was on his way to get help.

Both Lando and George had tried to make him stay, but realized that he was not going to.

Then they hadn't said anything.

Alex was worried that they would give up. He believed everything could be better about a situation if you just had hope.

That was why he was trying to get help. He felt like he had a chance to make it.

Alex tried to go back the way they had walked previously, but he had no idea if he was going the right way.

After some time walking he arrived at a bigger path.

Alex was pretty sure they had walked there before.

Then he heard some sound. It was quiet, but Alex was sure that was the sound of a car.

And it was getting louder by the second. Hopefully this could be the good news he needed.

Before he knew it, he saw the car driving on the path. Just when Alex was about to sign to the driver to stop, the car slowed down and eventually stopped.

When it had stopped the driver stepped out, even though the rain was still pouring down.

"Were you out here during the storm?" the driver asked him. Alex could see confusion and worry in the driver's eyes.

But there wasn't any time to answer that question. There were other things that were much more important right now.

"I need your help"


	5. Chapter 5

Carlos was pretty sure he would go completely crazy if nothing happened soon.

He knew he wasn’t the best person to deal with a stressful situation.

But anyone would’ve reacted like he did if they were in his situation.

Not that he hoped anyone would have to be in a similar situation, because it was almost worse than a nightmare.

He had gotten a phone call from Max, telling him Lando, Alex and George were in the woods during a storm.

Before the phone call was even over, Carlos was on his way to England.

If his boyfriend was in danger, he wanted to help him get back to safety.

And he was not going to wait around for that. Time was important when people go missing, especially during a storm.

His family understood why he left, making him feel a little better about the whole thing. Even though it was one of the worst situations of his life.

They had always told him you should help the people you love. No matter what anyone says.

And for him right now, that meant leaving Spain a little earlier than planned.

He was a bit ashamed to even think it, but he didn't care that he left his family before the break was over.

All he wanted was to hold his boyfriend in his arms, safe and sound.

That was the worst thing about this. He had no idea if Lando (and Alex and George for that matter) was safe, injured or dead.

The last option made him even more scared. What if they were dead?

Carlos didn't want to plan his boyfriend's funeral. He hated the thought of the person he loved buried in the ground.

He wouldn’t be able to live through that. He just couldn’t.

He let a few tears fall down his face, letting himself fall apart for a few seconds.

But he knew he had to pull himself together.

Even if the situation was horrible, he would not fall apart before he knew. He was going to have to find a way to relax, or relax as much as he could right now.

Carlos could practically hear Lando telling him not to worry, that they would be fine. This was just a small obstacle.

That actually made him a little calmer. But he was still freaking out.

He couldn't help it.

The flight to England was the worst wait he had ever sat through.

And the worst thing about it was that he hadn't gotten any news from Max and Daniel.

They had told him that they would give him news about anything if they heard something.

But it had been hours now, and he had heard nothing from them.

The thing Carlos was hoping for was that Lando, Alex and George had been found, safe and that that they were back home.

However, something told him the situation was way worse than that.

Carlos didn't want to admit it, but he had never been this scared in his life.

Life wasn't always like the movies. Sometimes you don't get a happily ever after.

Honestly, Carlos didn't need a happily ever after. He just needed his boyfriend to be okay.

That wasn't too much to ask for, right?

When the plane landed, Carlos didn’t know what to do.

He had hoped that the situation would be solved during the time it took for him to get to England.

But now he was painfully aware that everything was still the same.

Some time later, Carlos was still trying to figure out what to do when he felt a faint vibration in his pocket.

He knew right away that someone was calling him.

When he looked at the screen, he saw that Max was calling him again.

Carlos wasn’t sure if he wanted to answer it. If Max had good news, he wanted to answer.

But if the news were bad, he would rather just throw his phone in the trash.

Knowing that he couldn’t go through with the latter option, he took a deep breath before answering the phone.

“I have news” Max said as soon as Carlos answered.

He felt his whole body tense right after Max had spoken.

The thing that worried him was that Max didn’t sound happy or sad. He just sounded normal, which worried Carlos.

“Good or bad?” he asked.

“I don’t know”

For some reason, that answer made Carlos angry instead of worried.

Max couldn’t call him, saying he had news and then telling him he didn’t know.

Carlos knew he had to keep his composure. Max didn’t deserve a scolding right now.

This was hard for everyone involved.

“What do you mean? Are they okay?” Carlos decided to say, staying as calm as he possibly could.

But his calmest state of mind was still freaking out.

Max better give him an answer now. If he didn’t, he would have to listen to Carlos yelling for a while.

And Carlos hated himself when he was yelling.

“The storm is over" Max said.

That was good news. Which meant something else must've happened.

Max then continued.

"Then someone met Alex in the woods"

Carlos didn't know if that was good news or not.

Finding Alex was really good. That someone met him made Carlos understand that he had been walking.

But if he had been walking, the friends had either separated or gotten lost from each other.

Neither of those were good situations.

"Lando and George?" he hesitantly asked.

"They have been found"

Max's voice made Carlos believe that something wasn't right.

He just hoped nothing serious had happened.

"Are they okay?" Carlos asked again and then held his breath. That question still hadn't been answered, and it made him assume the worst.

He could hear Max sigh, probably thinking about how he would say it.

That was when Carlos realized that his assumption maybe was right. Maybe something really bad had happened.

He just hoped things weren't too bad.

"They were both unconscious"


	6. Chapter 6

Max felt a little bad about the way he had told Carlos about his boyfriend being found unconscious.

Maybe he should've calmed down a bit before giving really bad news.

He needed to remember that for the future. Not that he wanted to give bad news to anyone ever again.

Communicating with people wasn't the thing he was best at. And telling people bad news seemed like a nightmare.

Even though he knew that he should've waited with telling Carlos so he could calm down, that had been the first thing that came to his mind.

He thought about if he had been in Carlos's shoes right now.

He wouldn't want someone to have the answer on what was happening and then wait on giving him news that could change his life.

If someone had waited to tell him, someone would be in serious pain right now.

But hopefully Carlos hadn't injured anyone.

Not that Max would judge him if he had. That would be a reasonable reaction.

Right after he had ended the call with Carlos, Max told Daniel the news.

It was a bit strange. They had waited together for a call for hours. Then Daniel left him for five minutes, and the whole situation was different.

When Daniel heard the news, he sat down.

"Do you know if they are okay?" Daniel asked him.

Max shook his head. He really wished he had more to tell Daniel.

But all Christian had told him was that Alex was probably fine (physically at least), and that Lando and George were found unconscious.

By just looking at Daniel, Max could tell that he felt the same thing as he did.

They were tired of not knowing what was going on.

When they got updates, it only creates more questions. And those didn't have answers either.

"What should we do?" Max asked, because he didn't have a clue.

Daniel sighed, deep in thought. Max had given up on getting an answer when Daniel spoke.

"We could call Alex"

Max looked up at his boyfriend, confused.

"Can we call Alex?"

He knew the question sounded weird, but Daniel seemed to understand what he meant.

"If he doesn't want to talk, he can hang up. But he might need someone to help him though this"

Max nodded and took out his phone again. He was a bit surprised to see his hands shaking.

Why was he so nervous to call Alex?

Before he could change his mind, he pressed the call button and waited.

He could feel Daniel sit down next to him, wrapping an arm around him.

That quickly made him calm down.

Until Alex answered the call.

Then he became really nervous again.

They could hear Alex say hello quietly.

It was clear that he wasn't okay. But Max hadn't expected anything else.

He would be confused if Alex was fine after everything.

"Are you okay?" Max asked.

It took some time for Alex to answer.

"I guess so" Alex eventually said. "I'm alive and I'm conscious"

"That didn't answer the question"

Alex was silent again. Max knew it must be hard for him right now to talk about everything.

"I want them to be okay" Alex hesitantly said.

"Do you know if they will be?"

Both Max and Daniel tenses after the question was asked.

Was Alex said next would change a lot of things, either for the better or for the worse.

"Lando had a broken knee" Alex began. "He's going to have to have surgery for it"

That wasn't the best news. But it wasn't horrible either. Alex then continued.

"They were both unconscious. George didn't breath properly. They are now at risk of running fevers. But the doctor said they have a high chance of recovering"

Max let out a relieved breath, Daniel doing the same thing.

It still wasn't the best news, but hearing that they had a high chance of recovering was amazing right now.

Daniel seemed like he thought the conversation was finished.

But Max felt like something was still wrong.

"You never answered the first question" Max said, making Daniel confused.

"What?" Alex and Daniel said at the same time.

Max sighed at how stupid Daniel could be sometimes, but then turned his attention back to Alex.

"Are you okay?" He could hear Alex trying to get words out. But it seemed like he didn't know what to say.

"I just... feel like I let them down" he said after a few tries.

"Why?" Max asked. He couldn't see why Alex thought that.

"I left them"

"You saved their lives"

Alex was silent. Max hoped he understood that he didn't do anything wrong.

"I don't know" was Alex's answer.

Max let out a quick laugh.

"You don't know?" he said. "If you had stayed with them, all of you would be fighting for your lives right now"

When Alex didn't answer, he continued.

"From what Christian told us, no one would've been able to find you for a long time. You didn't leave them, you saved them"

"I guess you are right" Alex quietly said.

"I always am" Max answered, making Alex laugh a bit.

He hoped he had made Alex realize that it wasn't his fault. If he hadn't, he couldn't do more right now.

"I'll call when I know more" Alex said before hanging up the phone.

Max sighed before feeling Daniel's arms around him.

"You did an amazing job" Daniel told him.

Max laughed a bit.

"Really? I didn't say something stupid?"

"No. I think you made him understand that it wasn't his fault"

Max was surprised by himself.

He really thought he would say something stupid.

Dealing with people wasn't his specialty.

But maybe he actually had made Alex see things differently.

He really hoped he had.

Alex didn't deserve to feel bad about this.

But if something happened to either Lando or George, Max knew Alex would never forgive himself.

All he could do now was to hope that they were fine.

Max hated feeling this powerless.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Tank you so much for showing your support during this story.  
> It has really made me exited to continue.  
> Now enjoy the last chapter<3

Lando hadn't opened his eyes yet, even though he had been awake for some time now.

He was scared that he would still be out in the woods.

That was the last thing he wanted.

Honestly, he would rather be dead then stuck outside, more scared then he had ever been in his life.

When he slowly opened his eyes, he was blinded by the bright lights and quickly closed his eyes again.

Maybe he wasn't stuck in the woods anymore. It didn't feel like he was.

But if he wasn't in the woods, where was he?

That question got answered a few seconds later when he felt a hand on his forehead, gently stroking his hair.

"You are alright" a voice said.

Lando had missed that voice more than anything. That voice that had kept him from going crazy during that storm.

That was definitely Carlos.

But Lando couldn't really tell if that was the real Carlos or if he was imagining him there.

It was something he had done while stuck in the woods.

Every time a lightning stuck down, Lando had imagined Carlos there, telling him everything was okay.

That it had all been a horrible dream.

But maybe this was a dream. Maybe he was still out there.

However, something told him this wasn't a dream, that this really was Carlos.

That gave him the motivation to open his eyes again.

The lights were still as bright, but he didn't care about that.

Because next to him, he could see his boyfriend, smiling with tears in his eyes.

Lando didn't know what to say.

He actually felt safe again, something he hadn't dared to even think of.

Maybe it was shock, or that he saw Carlos again.

But as soon as they made eye contact, Lando felt tears falling down his face.

Then he quickly felt Carlos sit down on the bed he was laying on, and an arm was wrapped around him.

He wanted to say something, but for some reason he couldn't.

It was like something was physically stopping him from speaking.

"You guys gave us quite a scare" Carlos said. "But I'm so glad you are okay"

Lando nodded, even though he wasn't completely okay.

He was safe again, but his knee was wrapped up in bandages and the events would probably haunt him for a long time.

Then he remembered that he hadn't been alone.

He felt bad that it had taken him this long to remember that.

"Alex and George?" he asked, struggling to get the words out.

Lando felt Carlos hug him a little tighter, making him wonder if the news were good or bad.

"They are alright" Carlos said, making Lando relieved. "George has a fever, so he will stay here for a few days. But both he and Alex will be fine"

That made Lando feel better. But he still felt guilty about everything.

He wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

Right now, he didn't want to think about that.

All he wanted to do was to sit in Carlos's arms, to fully realize that he was in saftey.

And that was exactly what they did for a few hours.

Until they heard a knock on the door.

When Alex entered the room, Carlos got up and said he needed to make a phone call.

Lando understood that Carlos had waited until someone else was with him before leaving, which Lando appreciated.

"How are you?" Alex asked him after Carlos had left.

"I'm fine" Lando answered. "I just…I'm sorry"

Alex laughed a bit before his face turned serious again.

"I was going to say the same thing"

Lando frowned, confused by Alex's answer.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong"

Alex seemed shocked at what Lando had said.

"I left you. In the woods. Injured"

"No you didn't. You did what you had to do. Nobody is blaming you"

Alex seemed to think about it for a few seconds before he answered.

"Nobody is blaming you either"

Lando knew Alex was going to say that. But the thing that surprised was the fact that it sounded like he meant it.

"Maybe you should" Lando mumbled.

"You came up with the idea. But it was a lot of things that went wrong. That was nobody's fault"

Lando nodded. He knew what Alex said was true.

But he still didn't truly believe it.

"I still feel guilty" he then said.

Alex sighed. Lando could tell he felt the same way as him.

"Honestly, I think we both will feel like this forever"

Lando hadn't heard something that he agreed on more.

He knew this wasn't his fault.

But he felt like he would never believe that. And that was going to keep him from moving on from this.

Maybe that was the problem. His mind told him things differently then they actually were.

He knew he should talk to Carlos about that later.

"Is George okay?" Lando asked, happily changing the subject.

But he was still a little nervous about the answer. His condition might have changed from when Carlos told him everything.

"He's fine" Alex said with a small smile. "He just wants to get out of here"

"That, I can agree with"

They both laughed a bit. When they did, it felt for a few seconds like this had never happened.

Which Lando thought was a bit weird, but at the same time was really thankful for.

He didn't know if his life could return to normal.

And the fact that his knee would keep him from racing would be hard to deal with.

But then Lando made a promise to himself.

He would never give up.

It sounded really silly and cliché when he thought about it, but it was true.

Nothing would ever be able to get him to give up.

He just had to keep his eyes on the goal. Everything that wasn't helping him to get there was just a small obstacle.

He could always keep going if he wanted to.

All he had to do was to find the right way, no matter how many times he had to try.

**Author's Note:**

> :)


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